Dani’s crew: the Dakar ‘G Team’

Three Spaniards, one Italian, one Portuguese and one French make up the Dakar ‘G Team’. A team whose role is important for the Dakar and the media around the world. They are in charge and responsible for ensuring that journalists and photographers reach the best possible points on the route to take their photographs and records. Without them, the best pictures of DakarThey wouldn’t have existed.

The ‘G Team’ It was directed by a Catalan, Dani Buyowhich is in charge of identifying and marking photography points along the track before the start of the Dakar, by Google Earthas well as its access and the creation of reports with the exact location, time of arrival, access and description of the image that can be obtained for access by photographers through their equipment, as well as private photography agencies.

To bring photographers and journalists to these points, Dani is accompanied by his 6 crew, which he calls stamps‘, they seem members of the army special operations. Every day Dani distributes 6 missions to her crew, one for each of her sons. They must obey to the letter.

“I give them missions, they are like ‘seals’. I say to one of them: you take this person, who has to take pictures of motorcycles or trucks. This is the point, it’s going to take so long, take food, water and I’ll put the journalists in your hands. I’ll leave them with you in the morning at 5am’”said Dani to MD, emphasizing the importance of having experienced people to carry out this work. Not everyone can do this job. The ‘seal’ of the Dakar G Team needs to have good driving skills to go through sand dunes, dry rivers, rocky areas and all kinds of terrain to reach the point chosen by the photographer located by the organization.

Of those 6 men in charge of helping the press around the world, there are 3 Spaniards. This is Dani’s crew:

Marcel Quiros

“Marcel Quirós is pure dynamite. No matter where you throw it, it always comes out of the situation and solves the problem.”Dani explained about Marcel, a mechanic from Tortosa and leader of his own Dakar Classic team, where he competed in the Classics category with a Lada Niva. This year he was unable to attend the Dakar and received a last-minute call to return to the toughest race in the world with Team G. And he did not hesitate to accept.

“We take the journalists to the ‘proximity point’, a point that brings you closer through the asphalt to the place chosen as a ‘spot point’, the places that the organization chooses as the best for photographers to take their pictures. The journalist chooses the ‘spot point’ and the path to it is not easy. This is not a sign. We take it there if there are dunes, rocks or valleys to cross. Many times we went parallel to the track. And having a pilot’s vision allows you to see dangerous places,” highlights Marcel.

“I took one of the photographers who had to take the most pictures. You have to get all the pilots. “I was at the point an hour before the first motorcycle and we left with the car closing the track,” said Quirós, who at some stage left at night to arrive at the point at dawn and thus slept there so that the photographer will fall asleep wake up now to a place where you can create magic with your camera.

Quique Martinez

“Quique is experienced and treats any journalist well”said Dani to introduce the next star, Quique Martínez. The native of A Coruña is the organizer of Atlas Classic Rallywhich in 2025 will celebrate 24 editions, in addition to being a specialist educator in 4×4 RACE at the Jarama Circuit and track driving instructor and provides 4×4 courses nationwide. His resume speaks for itself. “My first Dakar in the organization is in 2024 and I am happy. I am proud to be within the organization,” Quique told this newspaper.

Toni Graces

“Toni is the least experienced, my trusted person in photography and communication in other events”added Dani, who decided to train Toni as a driver so that he would have the ability to drive one of those ford ranger of the organization to the extent desired by journalists.

We are referring to the Barcelonan Toni Gracesphotographer by profession, fulfilling a dream in the deserts of Saudi Arabia.

“I always dream about him Dakar and it was something I didn’t expect. Through a client I have to whom I report, he told me that there was this opportunity.” He had no driving experience, but they saw the ability to learn and be one of the team. And it did not disappoint.

“I was called at the last minute to cover the press missions that were to be taken to the locations where the action photo spots were. This is my first Dakar and I’m enjoying it. I am not a pilot and this represents an additional responsibility. The hardest part is finding very soft sand and if you don’t keep the car high, it will sink and you have to get the shovel out. “I got stuck a few days ago”remember

“I had a reporter with me. He had to go back to the bivouac to send his report, and since we couldn’t get out on the track where the cars were competing, I had to make a place. If you let your guard down a little, trap you are sand” , Dani stands out, knowing how to get out of that situation to fulfill his mission and get the journalist back to the bivouac. Every day, Team G continues to collect missions. Dakar photos depend on them. Dani’s crew does not disappoint.